Wool-pelt-scrubbing machine.



A. 1. LA FRANCIS.

WOOL FELT SCRUBBI-NG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FIIJED JULY 23.1915. v

Patented July 1 8, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A. LA FRANCIS.' WOOL PELT SCRUBBING MACHINE.'

Arucmon FILED luLY 2s, 1915.

Patented July 18, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 A. 1. LA FRANCAIS. wfooL FELT scRusBlNG'MAc'HlNE. APPLLcAnoN FILED luLv 23,1915.'

1,191,521. rama m18, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

vll/,011111111111114 www AIBERT J'. LA FRAN CIS, 0F CHICAGO, II'JLm'QIS.`

WOOL-PELT-SCRUBBING M CHINE Specification oqetters Patent.

Application led July 23, 19115. Serial No. 41,1522.

v To all whom Vt may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT J. LA FRANCIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WoolPelt-Scrubbing Machines, of which the following is declared to be a full, clear, and exact description..

This -invention relates to machines for scrubbing wool and other pelts, and its principal object is to provide a simple, efficient and practical machine for accomplishing this purpose.

Another object is to provide an "improved, pelt scrubbing machine, capable of quickly and thoroughly scrubbing the wool and removing the foreign matter. Other objects and advantages will occur in the course of this specification, and with all of said objects and advantages in view, this invention consists in the several novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully set forth and particularly defined in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the draw-ings 'accompanying this specification in which:

Figure "1 is aside elevation of a machine embodyin asimple form ofthe present invention; Fig. 2` is a longitudinal section thereof, partly broken away; Fig. 3 is a plan of the machine with certain parts broken out to illustrate parts that otherwise would be hidden from view; Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 4-4-4 of Fig. l; Fig. 5 is a detail, side view of a journal bearing for certain feed rollers; Fig. 6 is a detail, side elevation of a certain journal bearing for the scrubbing cylinders; Fig. 7 is a side view of one of the spray pipes used in the machine; and Fig. 8 is a view, partly :ln

side elevation and partly in longitudinal section, of a modified form of the invention.

Referring to said drawings, and particularly Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, the reference numeral, 10, designates a vat or tank upon the side walls, 11, of which, is mounted the scrubbing mechanism and'driving apparatus therefor. ln said vat, 10, isa traveling, endless conveyer, 12, conveniently constructed of transversely extending, spaced, wooden liights or strips, 13, secured to link belts, 14, that are trained around sprocket wheels, 15,

mounted upon shafts, 16, whichextend outL through the side walls, 11, of the vat, and are.

j ournaled in bearing boxes, 17, secured to the outer faces of the side walls, 11'. Preferably, the boxes at one end of the vat are in the form of adjustable take-up boxes.y v One. of the shafts, 16, is prdvided with a sprocket wheel, 18, over which is trained a sprocket chain, 19, which may be driven from any suitable source of power. Tracks, 19, are

l supported in the tank by cross bars, 20, and

said tracks are arranged under the upper portion of the chainsand support the upper portion of the endless conveyer. j l

The endless conveyer forms a' traveling table, upon the upper portion of which the pelts are laid, and above said table is a pluratenteu Jury is, 1ere.

rality of transversely extending, corrugated,

feed rollers, 21, which are j ournaled in bearing boxes, 22, movably mounted in brackets, 23, that are secured to the top of the side' walls, 11. Conveniently, said brackets have upwardly extending guide lugs,\24, between which the bearing boxes areguided to move vertically, and coiled compression springs, 25, are provided lbetween the u'pper faces of saldbearlng boxes and the upper ends of bolts, 26, which pass through the base of the brackets and bearing boxes, said springs act ing to yieldingly hold the corrugated feed rollers in contact with the table or pelts lying thereon. Said' feed rollers, 21, aredriven to rotate atabout the same surface speed as the traveling table, by suitable means, here shown as consisting of an endless chain, 27, trained over sprocket wheels, 28, secured upon the shafts, 29, of the rollers, 21, said sprocket chain passing also around idlers, 30, 31. Conveniently, one of the idlers, 31, is

journaled cna shaft mounted in an adjustf able take-up box, 32, secured to the side wall, 11, of the vat, whereby the excess slack in the chain may betaken up as occasion requires it. The sprocket chain, 27, is also trained around a sprocket wheel, v33, which may be conveniently driven by a pulley, 34,

which may be belted toY any suitable source of power.

The particular form of drive mechanism for the feed rollers above described, is not necessary to the invention, broadly considered, as any suitable form of gearing may be employed for driving said feed rollers at Between -the feed rollers, 21, are the scrubbers, here shown as comprising open cylindrical heads, 35, mounted on shafts, 36', journaled in vertically adjustable bearing boxes, 37. Said bearing `boxes are secured toupapproximately the same surface speed as lthe Vtraveling tab e.

rest in conical countersinks in the upper faces of the plates, 40. lrlhe bearing boxes, 37, may be raised or lowered to adjust the scrubbers with respect to the traveling table,

by lturning the cap screws, 42, and nuts, 41,l

in the proper directions'. 1

In the preferred form of the invention,

the scrubbers, 35, comprise end heads, 43,

and intermediate heads,.44, between which extend blades or Vanes, 45, arranged circumferentially around the marginal edges ofIk said heads to form an open cylinder which may, if desired, beturned up to provide an accurate cylindrical face. The blades or vanes may extend obliquely across the cylimdrical faces, although this is immaterial, so far as the scope of this invention is concerned. Said scrubbers may be driven by belts (not shown) trained around pulleys,

V46, secured upon the ends of the shafts, 36,

and in the 1operation of the machine, said scrubbers are revolved at a very high yrate of speed; their lower sides travel in the same direction as that traveled by the endless conveyer.

Between the feed rollers and scrubbers are guide rollers, 47, which are journaledupon theside walls, 11, said guide rollers acting to guide the pelts from each scrubber to the feed roller beyond it. Over said feed rollers are placed guards, 48, which are shown as consisting of angle-shaped plates secured to the side walls of the vat and extending therebetween. Said guards are employed to prevent the pelts from being thrown upon the adjacent guide and feed rollers, by the rapidly revolving scrubbers.

Beyond the last scrubber of the series, is a wringer roller, 49,'which is mounted upon a shaft, 50, journaled in the bearing` boxes, 51, adjustably supportedupon the side walls, 11, of the vat. Said wringer roller may comprise a wooden, cylindrical head, 52, around which is secured` a layer of felt, 53, covered by a canvas covering, 54. Said wringer roller bears upon the traveling conveyer or `pelts lying thereon, and receives its motion therefrom.

Water is supplied to the table and the 4pelts lying thereon by sprayer pipes, 55,

which extend across the table above the feed rollers, and have perforations in their lower sides (see Fig. 7), through which the water may be sprayed upon the pelts lying on the table. Conveniently said pipes may be connected to a main supply plpe, 56', by vertical guide spaced slats or stripsi mentar revolving scrubber, where water is sprayed upon it and part of the foreign matter 1s l'washed out by the rapidly revolving scrubber. This process is continued until the pelt reaches the` wringer roller, which partially removes the water from it. It somel times happens that when the last part of the pelt passes by a scrubber it isl violently thrown forward, but the guards, 48, prevent -it from being Wrapped around the adjacent roller or from falling. upon the feed roller. VThe water falling upon the table falls back into the tank and is pumped back into the spraying system, but fresh water is) added as occasion requlres. v

VIn the modified form shown in Fig. 8, the traveling table or `conveyer is in the form of a-drum or cylinder, 12, mounted on a suitably driven shaft, 16, its cylindrical face being formed of transversely extending, 13, secured to the sides, 16", of the cylin er. rlfhe feed rollers, 21a, scrubbers, 35a, guide rollers, 47, guards, 48a, water spraying pipes, 55, and wringer roller, 49, are grouped around the cylindrical face of the drum, as shown in the drawing, and supported by the framework of the -machine; adjustable bearings are provided for the shafts of the rollers, as in the preferred form. Below the drum 12a, is a vat, 10a, in front of which is a lat orm, 60, upon which the operator stan s who feeds the pelts into the machine. Above said latform and arranged close to the face o the drum or cylinder, is a stationary table, 61, upon which the pelts may be laid just prior to feeding them between the drum and rst feed roller, 21a. Below the' wringer roller,

49a, is a perforated plate or chute, 62,- upon which the cleaned pelts fall, and the lower or delivery end of the said chute may be sufficiently above the Hoor to permit a car or truck to be placed under the delivery end of the chute to receive the pelts as they leave the wringer roller. A waterpumping system such as is shown and described, may

be employed in connection with this modified form, as well as with the preferred form. -In the operation of this modified form of the machine, the operator stands upon the platform, 60, feeds thel pelts between the cylindrical face of the drum and the first feed roller, after which they are 1130 machine as a wool scrubber, it is obvious Y that it may be used for various analogous purposes, as, for instance, scraping or removing the foreign matter from other skins, from which wool or hair has been removed, or partially removed.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possible without departing from the spirit of this invention,

and I desire, therefore, not to limit myself,

to the precise forms of construction shown and described, but intend in the following claims to point out all of the invention disclosed herein.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A wool pelt scrubber, comprising in combination a vat, an endless traveling conveyer therein, a rotary feed roller co-acting with said conveyer to feed wool pelts along with the same, a water spraying pipe and a high speed cylindrical wool pelt scrubber adjacent said feed roller.

2. vThe combination of a traveling conveyer, a rotatory spring pressed feed roller thereabove co-acting therewith to feed lpelts along with the same, a high speed rotatory cylindrical scrubber adjacent said traveling conveyer and feed roller, a spray pipe adjacent said scrubber, means for supplying water to said spray pipe, and a rotatory wringer roller co-acting with said traveling conveyer to remove water from the pelts.

3. The combination of a vat, an endless traveling table therein for receiving the wool pelts to be cleaned, a plurality of corrugated feed rollers above said table and co-acting therewith to feed the pelts along with the top of said table, a plurality of cylindrical scrubbers adjacent said rollers, a plurality of spray pipes adjacent said scrubbers, means for supplying said spray pipes with water, a plurality of guide rollers adjacent the scrubbers, and a Wringer roller co-acting with said traveling table to remove water from the pelts after they have been cleaned by the scrubbers.

4. In a wool scrubbing machine, the combination of a vat, sprocket wheels mounted therein, an endless conveyer having sprocket chains trained around said sprocket wheels, suitably supported tracks for supporting the upper portion of said conveyer, a plurality of corrugated feed rollers co-acti'ng with said conveyer to feed wool pelts along the same,'a plurality of cylindrical scrubbers mounted adjacent said feed rollers, water spraying pipes located adjacent said scrubbers, and means for supplying water to said pipes. 5. A wool pelt scrubbing machine, comprising the combination of a vat, an endless travcling, endless conveyer therein, a plurality of spring pressed corrugated feed rollers thereabovevco-acting therewith to feed wool pelts along with the same, said rollers being spring-pressed toward the conveyer, Water spraying pipes and high speed cylindrical Wool -pelt scrubbers arranged adjacent said feed rollers, 'and means for adjusting said scrubbers toward and away from said conveyer.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a vat, an endless traveling table therein, rotatory spring pressed feed rollers above the same and co-acting therewith to move the pelts along with the table, water spraying pipes and rotatory high speed cylindrical wool pelt scrubbers located above the table and adjacent the feed rollers, said scrubbers having circumferentially arranged scrubbing blades.

7. 'In a machine of the class described, the

combination of a vat, an endless traveling pelt receiving table therein, a plurality of rotatoryfeed rollers thereabove and springpressed upon the same, water spraying pipes and rotatory high speed cylindrical wool pelt scrubbers located above the table adjacent the feed rollers, said scrubbers having circumferentially arranged scrubbing blades, and beingV adjustabletoward and away from the table.

8. In a machine ofthe class described, the y vcombination of a traveling table, a plurality of rotatory feed rollers thereabove and spring-pressed upon the table, a plurality of rotatory highl speed cylindrical pelt scrubbers 'having circumferentially arranged scrubbing blades, said scrubbers lbein mounted adjacent ,said feed rollers, guide rollers between said scrubbers and feed rollers, and guards above said feed and gulde rollers.

9. In a machine of the class described, the combination' of a vat, a traveling, endless conveyer therein, rotatory spring pressedY feed rollersthereabove, and high speed cylindrical scrubbers having circumferentially arranged Yblades extending bliquely of the axis, said scrubbers being journaled aboye the conveyer, sprayer pipes adjacent said scrubbers, a pump communicating with said vat and sprayer pipes, and a wringer roller journaled above said conveyer and in frictional contact therewith.

ALBERT J. LA FRANCIS. 

